Open Vallejo

It is illegal for city officials to block or delete comments on social media because they disagree with the speaker. If this has happened to you, please let us know.

Blackface is racist by definition: There is no exception for white people who claim they don’t mean it that way. There is no dispensation for white people who ...claim to do it as an ‘homage’ to some character or celebrity. The color of a person’s skin is never their most essential or defining feature. See more

Has a Vallejo official or agency blocked you online, or deleted your comments? By sharing your story, you can help Open Vallejo and the Electronic Frontier Foundation fight back against censorship.

In an official statement that is at once confused and confusing, the City of Vallejo today said officials have no information suggesting any emergency around the 2020 election, and reaffirmed the government's commitment to residents' First Amendment rights. The city also asserted it will have the Vallejo Police Department's riot squad on standby, and the city's emergency operations center activated. In addition, those wishing to exercise their First Amendment rights should be mindful of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city's statement.

Political consultancy the Lew Edwards Group no longer represents Hakeem Brown in his bid for Mayor of Vallejo, a spokesperson has confirmed.

BREAKING: SEIU Local 1021 has pulled its endorsement of Hakeem Brown for Mayor of Vallejo. The politically progressive union was among Brown’s earliest and most powerful supporters. But a recent report by Open Vallejo detailing Brown’s years of domestic violence has upended the Vallejo mayoral election, leading to rescinded endorsements, calls for Brown to resign his seat on the Vallejo City Council, protests, and a newly-launched recall campaign. On Saturday, Brown also ...lost the endorsement of the Napa/Solano Central Labor Council. The organization is influential in Vallejo’s establishment politics and was widely considered one of Brown’s most reliable political allies. Of the eight organizations that originally endorsed Brown's run for mayor, seven were unions. Of these, only DC16 Iupat and IAFF Local 1186 Firefighters still endorse him. Neither union has responded to requests for comment. Brown's endorsement by BWOPA Solano Napa Chapter also stands, although not without controversy: a member of the senior leadership reportedly resigned over the vote; the chapter's founder penned a heartfelt letter withdrawing her personal endorsement of Brown; and the statewide president of the organization indicated support for the dissenters. Read SEIU 1021's statement rescinding their endorsement of Hakeem Brown here: https://www.seiu1021.org//seiu-local-1021-along-napa-solan Read Open Vallejo's investigation that uncovered Brown's history of gendered violence here: https://openvallejo.org//domestic-violence-bordering-on-t/

Open Vallejo uncovered more about Councilmember Hakeem Brown than could fit in our 3,800-word investigative article detailing his history of domestic violence. Follow Open Vallejo on Twitter to learn more.

In response to Open Vallejo's reporting, the Napa/Solano Central Labor Council has rescinded its endorsement of Hakeem Brown for Mayor of Vallejo.

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Government officials violate the First Amendment when they block members of the public or delete comments on social media because they don’t like a speaker’s message, Open Vallejo cautioned through its legal counsel, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

By a vote of 175, the Solano County Democratic Party has rescinded its endorsement of Hakeem Brown's campaign for Mayor of Vallejo. Seven committee members abstained.

Earlier today, a letter that makes several assertions about Open Vallejo's reporting was published to Councilmember Hakeem Brown's official campaign website. We have fact-checked the letter. Please see this copy of the document, which includes Open Vallejo's suggested changes. We have reached out to Brown's attorney Scot Candell for comment and will update this post if he responds.

In April, the head of the Vallejo NAACP wrote a letter of support for Hakeem Brown on official letterhead. Brown submitted the letter as evidence in a child custody dispute with the family of his late wife Chana, who was murdered less than three weeks earlier in an unrelated incident. Reached today by phone, Vallejo NAACP president Jimmie Jackson declined to comment on the letter, or on Brown's history of violence against women.